Squaw Valley ski resort scales back expansion plan

RENO -- Squaw Valley ski resort says its scaling back its expansion plans to meet concerns of critics in the Sierra just north of Lake Tahoe.

Operators of the mountain resort that hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics say they've decided to build fewer hotel-condominium units -- 750 instead of 1,100. They're also cutting plans for new hotel bedrooms from nearly 2,200 to about 1,500.

Developers say maximum building heights also will be reduced from eight stories to seven to meet concerns about protecting scenic views of Squaw's soaring mountaintops.

Tom Mooers of the conservation group Sierra Watch says he's encouraged that the public's voice is being heard. But he says Squaw Valley's plans still are larger in scale and scope than anything they've seen before in the Tahoe-Sierra region.